Family Kia celebrates grand re-opening

Saturday

Nov 23, 2013 at 12:01 AM

By ELEANORE OSBORNECorrespondent

Family Kia of St. Augustine celebrated a grand re-opening to mark 13 years in business last week and officially unveil a new 5,700-square-foot space to accommodate new arrivals such as the luxury Cadenza and other favorites, such as the Kia Optima and the Kia Crossover Sorento. This year, owners Richard and Darlene Stoff are not only expanding their “starter home,” but celebrating being the number one KIA dealer in customer satisfaction in Florida. Not bad for a new Kia kid on the block. They’re remembering the day they threw open the doors: Oct. 25, 2000, and the pledge they made that Family Kia would be “Your home of the Red Carpet Treatment.” They’ve made every effort to keep that pledge, Stoff said, customer by customer. Stoff retired in 2000, or tried to.“I never really was retired. I was just tired,” he joked. “At the time, we had partnership in a Kia dealership in Mobile (Ala.) and were living in Fort Lauderdale.”Then Kia knocked on his door, urging him to open a store up the coast.“Where the heck is St. Augustine?” he said. But the challenge won him over. He bought an old motel, tore it down, and built a brand new dealership.“We moved up, bought a house, and we have been successful and lucky ever since.”In fact, theirs is the largest Kia dealership in north Florida.Eric Canoura of Jacksonville’s FNG Construction described the new addition this way: “It’s contemporary and blends right into the existing space, with a new showroom and new-car delivery area on the first floor and office space on the second. It’s not a huge dealership that you get lost in.”Work began in April and was completed recently.“It’s an intimate group of people to work with, like your family,” Canoura said. “Throughout the process, we relied on Mr. Stoff’s experience to bring this design concept to life. He knows a lot about that niche of the building industry.” Family Kia is truly a family affair with Stoff’s wife, Darlene, overseeing the office and accounting, and son Carl Davis serving as parts and service director.“We have a good dealership, the best employees in the state. They make me look good,” said Stoff. “We have so many accolades because of them.” He ticks them off: Best Kia-dealer certified dealership; member of the Kia Presidents club; ranked among the top 15 of the top 30 Kia dealerships out of 760.“Our customers are the most important people to all of us,” he said. “They are what makes Family Kia good. We want to make car buying a happy experience for them: no high-pressure. We want people to feel they are part of our family.”Family Kia is located in St. Augustine at 2665 U.S. 1. Sales office hours are 9 a.m.-8 p.m. Mon-Sat; noon-6 p.m. Sun. More information is available online at familykia.com or by calling 904-808-0542